Issue 10

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Champions Once More Amherst Williams

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See more on Page 9 Rob Mattson Office of Public Affairs

College Hosts its First Annual TEDx Conference Sophie Murguia ‘17 Managing News Editor A professor of midwifery, a saxophonist and an Amherst College senior were among the speakers who took the stage this Sunday at Kirby Theater, where several hundred people gathered for the first ever TEDxAmherstCollege event.

The event, which featured eight speakers affiliated with the College, is one of the hundreds of TEDx conferences that are organized each month worldwide. TEDx is an offshoot of the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference, which dedicates itself to “ideas worth spreading.� TEDx events are independently organized by members of local communities and feature a combination of live speakers and videos of TED talks from other locations.

On Sunday morning, Amherst College Provost Peter Uvin welcomed attendees by introducing the event’s theme, “disruptive innovation.â€? “We tend to associate [disruptive innovation] with technology and the private sector,â€? Uvin said. “But there is so much more going on in terms of disruptive innovation everywhere.â€? Uvin cited the art, social change, science and education as examples of fields in which disruptive innovation occurs. “In a way, I think that even what we do at a liberal arts college like Amherst College, if we do it well ‌ that, too, in a way, is disruptive innovation,â€? Uvin said.

Following Uvin’s remarks, emcees Reilly Horan ’13 (now a graduate assistant in the Theater and Dance Department) and Ricky Altieri ’15 welcomed the first speaker, Karti Subramanian ’07, to the stage.

Subramanian is the co-founder of Vera Solutions, a technology company that helps NGOs and other institutions make a social impact using the power of data. He discussed how his experience at Vera has led him to appreciate the transformative potential of highquality data in helping such organizations to effect social change.

Subramanian was followed by Amherst College Librarian Bryn

Geffert, who discussed the crisis faced by academic publishing. “This industry is on a trajectory that is not going to end happily,� Geffert said, pointing out that a one-year subscription to an academic journal can cost more money than a Honda Civic. Geffert warned that rising industry prices are restricting access to high-quality academic literature. He thinks that the solution to the publishing crisis may come if more university presses follow in the example of Amherst College Press, which makes all information that it publishes freely available on the Internet. “The purpose of a university press is to make good literature as widely available as possible,� Geffert said.

Jason Robinson, an assistant professor of music at the College, gave the next talk. Robinson spoke on telematic music, which allows musicians in different locations to give concerts together through the use of sophisticated video and audio technology. Robinson spoke of an experience in which he and two local musicians were able to improvise live with two musicians located in La Jolla, Calif.

Robinson said that telematic music is particularly exciting for him because it illustrates “our need for true connection to one another.�

After breaking for lunch, the event resumed with a talk by Saraswathi Vedam ’78, an expert on midwifery who is currently on faculty at the University of British Columbia. Vedam challenged common assumptions about home birth, pointing out that in many cases home birth can be just as safe as hospital birth and can provide women with a more comfortable environment in which to deliver their babies. “Which is disruptive innovation: hospital birth or home birth?� Vedam asked the audience. She argued that although many people in the United States see hospital birth as the disruptive innovation, home birth has value as a disruptive innovation as well.

Kenneth Danford ’88 followed Vedam by discussing a disruptive innovation of his own, in a talk called “School is Optional!� Danford described his experiences founding North Star, a self-directed learning program for teenagers. He exalted the value of allowing

teens to leave traditional high schools and pursue alternative forms of education. “There’s nothing you can do with a traditional high school diploma that you can’t do without one,� Danford said.

After Danford, Associate Professor of English Marisa Parham spoke about, in her words, “how we build a future when we already have a past.� Parham used the metaphors of ghosts and robots to examine our attitudes toward the past and toward disruptive technological change.

Andre Wang ’14, the lone student speaker, opened the event’s final session with a talk on lie detection. Wang, whose senior thesis in psychology relates to the topic of lie detection, beat out seven other students in a competition to speak at the event. Wang explained that many of the methods we use to detect lies are in fact deeply flawed and that personal biases can often get in the way of accurate lie detection. “I realized that there’s this gab between what the public knows about lie detection and what is known in academia,� Wang said in an interview. “It is this gap that motivated me to give this talk, because I think a lot of the research in this area should be more available to the public.�

The final speaker of the afternoon was Rosanne Haggerty ’82, who is known for her work in combating homelessness. Haggerty outlined five steps to solving a social problem, which included advice to “do the most obvious thing� and “set a measurable goal and a scary deadline.�

For the team of students who organized the event, Haggerty’s talk was a satisfying conclusion to a conference that they deemed an overall success. “Based on feedback from students I was talking to at lunch and after the event, people seemed to really enjoy the talks,� said Nicole Chi ’15, who was in charge of speaker relations. However, Chi noted that she was disappointed that so many Amherst students Continued on Page 3

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News

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Nov. 5 to Nov. 10, 2013

>>Nov. 5, 2013 5:45 p.m., South Pleasant Street An officer assisted the town police in looking for an elderly man who was missing from home. The man was located on Snell Street and the town police were notified.

of College Street and East Drive with an OUI arrest.

>>Nov. 6, 2013 2:37 p.m., Keefe Health Center An officer assisted an ambulence crew at the Health Center. A student was taken to the hospital.

11:25 a.m., 79 South Pleasant Street Officers responded to an intrusion alarm on the third floor and found it was accidentally set off by an employee. The system was reset.

3:59 p.m., Waldorf-Astoria An officer checked on a student at the request of a concerned caller. No assistance was needed.

8:14 p.m., Morrow Dormitory A resident complained about the odor of marijuana on the second floor. Officers responded but were unable to determine the origin of the odor.

>>Nov. 7, 2013 12:54 p.m., South Amherst College Drive An officer investigated a motor vehicle accident.

1:49 p.m., Charles Pratt Dormitory An officer responded to a complaint about the odor of marijuana on the first floor.

After speaking with a resident, there was insufficient evidence that an Amherst student had been involved.

4:26 p.m., Merrill Lot An officer investigated a motor vehicle accident.

4:32 p.m., Keefe Campus Center An officer responded to a report of a person yelling in a locked second-floor bathroom. The officer discovered the person, who is a student, was watching a game on a laptop and was cheering.

9:40 p.m., Stearns Dormitory Officers investigated a CO alarm sounding in the firstfloor common room. No problem was identified. >>Nov. 8, 2013 12:16 a.m., College Hall Officers investigated a fire alarm and found it was accidentally set off by construction work. The system was reset.

1:35 a.m., East Drive An officer assisted the town police at the intersection

Fresh Faculty: Sahar Sadjadi

>>Nov. 9, 2013 1:39 a.m., Pond Dormitory Officers responded to a report of a man screaming outside the building. Upon arrival, no problem was found.

>>Nov. 10, 2013 12:26 a.m., Porter House An officer investigated a smoke detector sounding in a second-floor room and discovered a resident had smoked in her room. She was fined $100 for the smoking violation.

12:48 a.m., Service Building Lots An officer encountered a man, who is a student in the five-college area, with several bottles of hard alcohol. It was confiscated as the man was underage.

1:04 a.m., Waldorf-Astoria An officer fund a beer funnel in the hallway. It was confiscated.

1:15 a.m., Stone Dormitory An officer encountered an underage student with alcohol. It was disposed of, and the matter was referred to the Dean’s Office.

1:20 a.m., Stone Dorm Officers responded to a request from residents of a first-floor suite to help in ending a large party at the suite.

Assistance was provided.

11:21 p.m., Hitchcock House An officer responded to a complaint of a large party and found a group of people in the first-floor common room.

The event was shut down.

Sahar Sadjadi grew up in Iran, studied medicine at Tehran Univ. of Medical Sciences and received her Ph.D. in medical anthropology at Columbia Univ. Before joining Amherst College, Dr. Sadjadi was a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at the Committee for Interdisciplinary Science Studies, The Graduate Center and City University of New York. She is an associate professor in the Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies Department at Amherst College.

Q: I noticed that your work pulls from a breadth of academic disciplines. How would you characterize your field of study, and what made you decide to pursue this?

A: My field of study is medical anthropology, which is the study of the socio-cultural dimensions of health, disease and medicine.

I studied medicine in Iran at Tehran Univ. I then interned at public hospitals in Tehran.

Later, with my work as emergency room physician at an impoverished region in Kurdistan at the border of Iran and Iraq, I became acutely aware that what is determining people’s health extends far beyond the scope of biomedical knowledge and our medical interventions at the hospital. Issues such as poverty, ethnic repression and women’s oppression loomed large. So I wanted to study those larger forces and conditions that affected people’s health and well-being. I was also politically engaged and passionate about social justice and was always very interested in social sciences. When I realized there were interdisciplinary fields such as medical anthropology, I decided to apply to a couple of programs and I was admitted to Columbia Univ. at a joint program between the Department of Sociomedical Sciences and Anthropology. During the Ph.D., I became increasingly interested in research in the social studies of medicine and science, how medical knowledge is produced, disseminated and practiced, how social, cultural and economic factors shape science and medicine and how, in turn, science and medicine shape our lives and cultural beliefs. My medical knowledge and background have definitely facilitated and enriched my work in this field.

Q: What is your research on and how did you come to be involved in it?

A: My doctoral dissertation research was an ethnographic study of clinical practices that have emerged around gender nonconforming and transgender children. I examined the revision of the psychiatric category, “Gender Identity Disorder in Children” for the fifth edition of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). In addition, I conducted fieldwork in two pediatric gender clinics, one psychiatric and one endocrine. I studied the medical, ethical and political controversies around new treatments for gender

variant children such as puberty suppression which is used to prevent the development of pubertal bodily changes and is often followed by cross-sex hormones in a few years.

Q: Have you always been interested in issues of gender and sexuality?

A: Intellectually, ever since childhood. Politically, when I was 18 or 19 I became involved in the feminist movement in Iran. I owe much of what I read and learned about gender to those years and my friends in Iran. During my medical practice, I was interested in issues of women’s health and sexual health. When I moved to the United States, I joined a feminist collective in New York City. During the Ph.D., I studied extensively about sexuality and was mentored by prominent scholars of the field.

And my current research reflects my intellectual interest in gender and sexuality.

Q: What classes are you teaching this and next semester?

A: This semester, I am teaching Anthropology of Sexuality and Gender and HIV/AIDS. Next semester, I will be teaching Feminist Theory and Science and Sexuality.

Q: Which aspects of Amherst do you like so far?

A: I like my students a lot. They are very thoughtful and engaged with the course material and the class and open to new and sometimes challenging ideas. They are respectful and caring. Before coming to Amherst, I had heard about the college’s initiatives in promoting diversity. However, the diversity I see in my classes exceeded my expectations. It makes all the difference as a teacher to think that you’re not just teaching students who can afford [expensive] tuitions. This has been an excellent direction in which the college has channeled their resources. I should add the Five-College students in my classes are great and have made the class more dynamic and stimulating. And, other great aspects of Amherst College are my colleagues in our department and several other faculty whom I have met who are great people and have been very kind and supportive.

Q: What do you do in your spare time?

A: Many things. Hiking, for instance. I love mountains and did a lot of mountain climbing in Iran. Around here I am happy with the hills! Outside of the literature I read for work, I enjoy reading fiction in both Persian (Farsi) and English. I also spend a significant time in maintaining relationships with my friends and family, who are spread around the world. And, I am gradually exploring the art scene around here and making new friends.

-Evelyn Ting ’17

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/FXT

AAS Senate Candidate Statements Class of 2017

With the help of my Senate colleagues, I want to find creative solutions that contribute to Amherst’s improvement.

on a deep and sincere level. Some ideas for fun events include sleepovers, dorm hopping, dance parties and more.

Grant Baker Salutations, My name is Grant Baker; I have elected to run for the open AAS seat because I feel that I have my experience would make me an effective member on the committee. My junior and senior years of high school were defined by my time as a Student Representative on the Cambridge City School Committee. As a student representative I learned to analyze budgets (both larg e and small), write policy and advocate for student rights. If you feel that I would be a valuable addition to AAS, I would appreciate your vote.

Sincerely, Grant Baker

Oluwatobi Oni-Orisan Hello, my name is Oluwatobi Oni-Orisan but most people know me as Tobi. I believe that my servant-leadership experience as Governor of the Conn. YMCA Youth and Government program makes me the premier candidate for this position. I will make it my duty to further engage the Amherst College community in more on-campus events and opportunities such as raising awareness of career-preparation opportunities and building stronger connections among class years. I know that we, the class of 2017, can make a difference, and this difference begins with your vote for me, Tobi Oni-Orisan.

David Atkins I ran for Senate earlier this fall, and appreciated the strong support I received.

Many of you felt my student government experience would help me represent your views in the Senate. My platform (www. facebook.com/DavidForAAS) gives practical solutions to problems students consistently complain about, such as the poor Wifi in Frost and the frustrating Grab-and-Go schedule.

If my ideas can make Amherst a better place, I need your vote.

More importantly, if you want a candidate who has the experience to listen to you and implement change, I need your vote.

Camille Herzog In serving Amherst College as a senator, I’d create a free, on-campus rental center for sports equipment. Often, students on-campus do not have the resources to play all the sports they desire or the space to store their equipment from home. This program will provide everyone — varsity and non-varsity athletes alike — an opportunity to play sports with their friends in a non-competitive atmosphere. More importantly, as a senator, I’d be here to serve you! I truly want everyone to have a great four years here, and I’d love to be part of making that possible for you!

Jax Reiff I spoke with a professor about how prestigious academic courses are available for free on the internet. One of the primary reasons that students come to Amherst from often incredible distances is its academic reputation, but with incredible resources available for much cheaper than ~$60,000, what are these students paying for? The college should constantly be addressing this, working to make sure that the full college experience is as enriching as it can possibly be. This is an effort I am very interested in, doing what I can to make living at Amherst as incredible as learning at Amherst.

Reynaldo Pena I want to be in the Senate because I will have an opportunity to express my opinions as to how to improve the community of which I am part of. As a first year student at Amherst, I recognize that the scope of my understanding of the problems on campus is limited. However, my goal is to focus on the most important issues that affect my classmates. Among these issues are the limited social opportunities that integrate the school as a whole.

Lolade Fadulu I’d like to help with the positive change that is happening on campus. I’d like to do so by offering my thoughts — molded by my own personal experiences and background — and my work ethic.

I’m particularly interested in helping student-athletes of color, students from low-income households and substancefree students adjust to Amherst life. In addition, I’d like to help organize fun events that allow one to get to know one’s peers

Dae Kang I have two names: Dae and Sam. Because I am an immigrant to the U.S.A, I can understand the hardship and the feeling of homesickness of international students as “Dae�. Because I lived in the U.S.A. for six years, I can understand the western culture as “Sam�. In Korean Student Association, I enjoy eating kimchi and brown rice as “Dae�. In GlobalMed, I discuss global issues with my friends in English as “Sam�. With my two names and my understanding of eastern and western culture, I want to represent the diversity of Amherst College as a senator.

Pierre-Alexander Low For those who don’t know me, I’m PierreAlexander, or Pierre, or PA, or any form thereof, and I live in North. Like many of you, I’m a freshman unsure of what I want to do in life. However, I do know that I want to represent you guys on AAS. While I don’t yet know quite everyone, I strive to be approachable and bring your great ideas to fruition. Some projects I would personally like to pursue are a bike sharing program, improved WiFi, and anything and everything to make this fantastic place we call home even better! Thank you.

TEDx Event Celebrates “Disruptive Innovation�

Continued from Page 1 preregistered for the event and then failed to show up. Although Kirby Theater appeared to be at full capacity in the morning session, attendance dwindled in the afternoon. Chi speculated that many students who had not preregistered might not have come because they did not know they would be able to get in. “We’ll probably change up our registration process in the future,� Chi said. The organizers hope that TEDxAmherstCollege will become an annual event.

For Chi and the other student organizers, these registration difficulties seemed to be one of only a few hiccups in a process that they described as being immensely rewarding. David Beron ‘15,

another one of the organizers, described his satisfaction at being able to realize an ambitious vision shared by seven other dedicated students. “We wanted to bring speakers from all over the world and offer them a stage to share their stories, and we wanted these stories to be heard everywhere,�

Beron said. “Our team of eight students was fully committed to making it happen.�

Diego Recinos ’16 also relished the opportunity to bring a TEDx conference to Amherst College, reflecting that the College was a particularly appropriate place to host the event. “I think that TED’s mission of ideas worth spreading fits really well with the liberal arts education we receive at this institution,� Recinos said. “There are so many people related to the Amherst College community with brilliant ideas and initia-

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Opinion

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Editorial Persons Not Affiliated With the College On Tuesday, November 12, 2013, students received an email from Campus Police and Dean of Students, Jim Larimore, outlining “safety information” during the weekends. The letter states that there have been many reports of people not affiliated with the college being near the campus dorms and, a few of them, acting “aggressively” towards some of the students.

The email continues to outline our rights as students as being able to refuse entry to strangers to our rooms and dormitories and the action plan, should someone aggressively attempt to enter our room while we are inside.

The e-mail is sent with best intentions, and its advice is valuable. Nonetheless, it reflects a certain bias that is embedded into the mindset of many students, faculty and staff. Students should lock their doors, be protective of their rooms and personal space and be aware of the safety services available to them. This goes without saying. What requires further examination, however, is how all of this is framed around the issue of “persons not affiliated with the College,” which obviously refers to Five College students.

Are Amherst students, by virtue of going to Amherst, less likely to seek uninvited access to parties or to be less aggressive? Perhaps, certain Five College students do behave poorly when visiting Amherst. Because students tend to remember obnoxious or deviant behaviors more vividly than mundane behaviors they risk associating actions of an unrepresentative subset of the Five College population with the entire body of Five College students. The problem is that many Amherst students unwittingly commit this fallacy and allow it to affect their words

E X E C U T I V E B OA R D Editor-in-Chief Alissa Rothman Managing News Elaine Vilorio, Sophie Murguia Managing Opinion James Liu, Julia Milmed Managing Arts and Living Meghan McCullough, Annalise Nurme Managing Sports Nicole Yang, Karl Greenblatt, Andrew Knox

and behavior.

The way Amherst students erroneously conceptualize Five College students does not just manifest itself in silly humor (every college has gags and stereotypes about the other colleges) but also in serious situations that should require rational and informed thought. How many Amherst students have dismissed taking Five College courses because they assume that they would receive a more rigorous education at Amherst? The problem extends so far as to faculty. How many professors have advised their advisees against taking a Five College course because they believe it would be an easy A or inadequate preparation for a major? How many departments refuse to allow courses at certain other colleges to fulfill major requirements?

However, neglecting the Five College community deprives Amherst students of a tremendous resource. UMass Amherst has one of the world’s top Marxian economics departments, Hampshire College churns out notable alumni (especially in the film industry), Mount Holyoke educated poet Emily Dickinson and, despite the gender pay gap, Smith College has almost as large an endowment as Amherst.

When Amherst students think of Five College students they do not think of the studious undergraduates or brilliant graduate students — like Thomas Herndon, an economics doctoral student at UMass Amherst who debunked a study on austerity by Harvard economists Reinhard and Rogoff — because those are rarely the ones that show up to Amherst on a Saturday night. They imagine the one guy who goes to Amherst to get drunk and makes a scene. And that is shame.

The International Perspective On Speaking English 4ISVUIJ #BESJ Contributing Writer The International Perspective is a biweekly column that provides a platform for students to share their opinions about our larger world. This includes international outlooks on domestic issues as well as opinions on problems occurring around the globe.

One of the most difficult questions I’ve been asked during my time at the College is how I learned English and why I speak it “so well.” My instinct is to feel exasperation and indignation, which are immediately followed by guilt at my lack of generosity towards the well-intentioned asker, who was, after all, “just curious.” The residue of this amalgamation of feelings tends to stay with me, constituting a vague bother, and this is why it was of interest to me to examine this scenario and my own reaction to it. Also, this is an experience most international students face at some point in their time here, so it appeared to be a topic worth pursuing.

First, I’ll give a serious answer to the question that started me off to begin with. If you are curious as to how I learned English or wonder what are the means by which I acquired the fluency needed to write an article on the matter, the easiest response would be for me to ask you in turn how you learned to speak English fluently. This is not meant to be flippant but rather is intended to demonstrate the difficulty of articulating a response to such a question. Giving it some thought, you might respond with some of the following: parents, siblings, classes at school, classmates, movies and television shows, music, books or the internet. That’s exactly how I learned, too.

Likely, most international students asked this question learned the language through some combination of the factors above. Having established how absurd the question seems when asked in return or how necessarily mundane the response will be, it is easier to explain why one might feel exasperated when asked. It is disconcerting to have to think about — and tedious to have to explain — how one came to learn a language and speak with native fluency, in that very same language. Take into consideration the fact that this happens dozens of times, and it is a small wonder that the reaction stays at exasperation and doesn’t morph into something more negative.

The indignation is harder to explain and more troubling. It is also less generalizable because here, in particular, it is important I acknowledge I only speak from my experience.

Although I know that some others feel the same way, I cannot presume to speak for the larger community. The only way I have found to explain this sentiment is an internalization of the notion of English as a mark of development and prestige. This is not at all hard to believe in the case of India, where the British used a narrative of bringing civilization to primitive people to justify their colonization, and one symbolic way in which this was achieved was through

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the introduction of an English curriculum in schools.

There is currently a largely misunderstood anti-English movement in some states in India, largely motivated by this historical circumstance and resentment at its implication. What might, therefore, sound like a fairly innocuous question on the surface could unintentionally invoke sentiments that do not make sense outside the context of understanding that in some ways a question about language can become a question about status, intelligence, ability or worth. Of course, this association is deeply problematic and has no reasonable basis, but regrettably, at least in me, it exists. Acknowledging this, and including it to form a less than banal explanation might be important if we are to take curiosity and a desire to understand one another seriously, rather than something we merely go through the motions of.

A second question that interests me is what the implicit assumptions that underlie the curiosity of the well-intentioned asker are. Are they curious about me as Shruthi or as an Indian?

I fear it is mostly the second that seems to be the case, and this is an issue for two reasons.

First, the idea that an individual can speak to the experiences of an entire group of people is something we are guilty of assuming in several different contexts, but if the goal is truly international understanding, we must abandon grounds with soil fertile for stereotypes.

Second, it is likely that international students at Amherst in particular are the ones we must be most careful about assuming represent the ‘typical’ citizen of their respective countries, insofar as such a thing exists, because as many cases, the fact that we are here and the dizzyingly complex combination of circumstances that had to fall into place to enable our presence at an elite liberal arts institution potentially halfway across the world, puts us firmly outside the norm. Whatever our relative privilege in the College, it is likely that we come from privileged backgrounds in our countries and this is an important caveat to consider in trying to understand where we come from.

Maybe the reason so much feels at stake when these seemingly innocuous questions are asked is that, for most part, these constitute the majority of dialogue I’ve been a part of about where I’m from and my cultural identity, so it seems important to get the answers right. But perhaps if I were to respond with some of the above the next time I were asked the question, it would indeed spark conversation that went beyond the mundane and actually made progress towards improved cross cultural awareness.

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Banks Behaving Badly Facing the Facts of Liberal Arts: Are our Degrees Still Relevant? +BNFT -JV Managing Opinion Editor

"TIMFZ . .POUHPNFSZ Opinion Section Editor With economic strife rising, it is no surprise that the value of college degrees has been widely debated.

Most noticeably, while many economists argue that a vocational degree or bachelor’s from a state university is certainly better than no degree at all, in terms of preparing a student for employment post-graduate, the question of liberal arts degrees often hangs in the air.

The question has risen up more recently as Britain makes a great shift towards a path it has long avoided for its undergraduate institutions — liberal arts. Known for its narrow focus of students choosing one path for study at the age of sixteen and the requirement of both Latin and Greek study, the liberal arts’ wide scope of focus failed to reach Britain. While there are exceptions to this (Cambridge and Durham Univ.), in May of this year, Britain began to embrace more of the liberal arts instead of its more “classical approach.� According to the Wall Street Journal article “In Britain, a Return to the Idea of the Liberal Arts,� the prestigious King College London makes this change most hardily, allowing students to “study both the arts and the sciences or to take courses across a range of disciplines.�

It is a “big risk� but directors of the liberal arts programs at King College and University College London hope it will work out in the schools’ and the students’ favor through the results of the students’ final examination scores.

Did Britain’s liberal arts reform arrive too late? Across the pond in America, many humanities professors in schools across the country grow more and more worried about the dwindling number of liberal arts majors. In the New York Times article based on Stanford University’s (Stan-

ford, Calif.) liberal arts program, reporter Tamar Lewin notes: “Some commenters sounded the alarm based on federal data showing that nationally, the percentage of humanities majors hovers around seven percent — half the 14 percent share in 1970.�

Possible explanations for the drop could be attributed to the worsening economy and worries of shortage of employment as well as increased attention to “science and technology.�

Furthermore, much research shows that it is the parents of students who are pushing toward a less liberal college experience. Could it be because parents would have to foot the bill, either directly or through taxes?

Forbes’ contributor Tim Worstall, argues for dismantling liberal arts programs entirely. Though Worstall is a self-proclaimed “libertarian/ classical liberal type,� his argument, like many of the college debates these days, is based from an economic prospective.

Because of the increasing number of students using student loans to back their undergraduate plans (funds that taxpayers that provide) and then ending up in jobs (if they can find one) that cause them to take long periods of time to pay back said funds, Worstall states: “We would though suggest that perhaps the rest of us, in our guise as taxpayers, should not be paying for what is clearly an entirely outdated, into’d the dustbin of history, method of doing these things.� So is the answer to turn to a STEM degree?

You may not have to. In a recent article by Peter Cappelli of the Wall Street Journal, narrowing your degree to a specialized field just because of current employment trends can be disastrous. No one can predict the future of employment trends, and in many cases, “Today’s jobs aren’t necessarily tomorrow’s.� Furthermore, specializing your degree can lead to fewer jobs available if that particu-

lar field is not hiring. For example, a graduate with a degree in Marketing or Economics is more likely to have more options than one who majored in Hospitality Management.

A major difference between Cappelli’s article and others supporting liberal arts degrees is that he does not push towards the “As a liberal arts major, you learned how to write and research well — use this to your advantage!� assertion that we always hear. He (and polls from WSJ readers) support the notion that although post-graduate employment is important, it shouldn’t be the only factor in choosing a school and field of study.

Most importantly, employers praise work experience over any other factor of the graduate’s undergraduate experience. Cappelli explains: “If [employers] have a choice between hiring someone fresh out of a hospitality-degree program or someone who doesn’t have that degree but who has run a restaurant, they will choose the latter.�

In addition to focusing on work experience, many analysts agree that whether a student attends a liberal arts school or state university, he or she should take advantage of the resources the school offers in order to offset the cost of undergraduate education and possibly aid in graduating within four to six years. Fortunately, since Amherst College offers many resources from the Career Center’s extensive services, the Dean of Student’s academic support and much more, the $64,000 dollar price tag is put to good use.

Post-graduation plans aside, many humanities professors across the country urge their students to focus on receiving a well-rounded education and that although liberal arts students may have a tougher time to getting their first job than their STEM counterparts, they are better off in the long run.

Since the financial crisis of 2008, the six largest US banks have accrued $103 billion in legal bills. Recently, JP Morgan reached a tentative $13 billion settlement with the Department of Justice to end government probes of its sales of securities made up of low-quality mortgages. Federal prosecutors are seeking $864 million from Bank of America, which was found liable by a jury of selling defective loans to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In 2010, Goldman Sachs paid the Securities and Exchange Commission $550 million to settle charges that it misled investors in a subprime mortgage product. Across the Atlantic, the European Union is set to levy a record fine of at least 1.5 billion euros ($2.03 billion) on six banks, including Barclays and RBS, for rigging the yen Libor interest rate benchmark.

Among these staggering numbers, one figure is most jarring. Not a single top financial executive has been convicted of criminal charges related to the financial crises. Since 2010, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has filed over 40 lawsuits against officers of failed institutions, but few have involved high-profile bankers. Even by historical standards, the actions of US prosecutors seem meek. During the savings and loans crisis of the 1980s, more than 800 bankers were jailed.

The lack of high-profile prosecutions stems from the difficulty of attributing wrongdoing by lower officials to top executives. Consider the hedge fund SAC Capital, which recently, after a decade-long probe for insider trading, plead guilty to five counts of fraud and was fined $1.8 billion. While the SEC brought civil charges against its founder Steven Cohen, no criminal charges were pressed, despite the possibility of conscious disregard, “the knowledge of the probable harmful consequences of a wrongful act and a willful and deliberate failure to act to avoid those consequences.� SAC’s structure, which involved allocating core operations to four affiliates, helped preclude the possibility criminal accusations

against Cohen, and while he may face additional fines, his personal fortune of $9.4 billion could cover many settlements many times over.

One is left then to question the efficacy of the monetary settlements pursued by federal prosecutors. The fines levied against financial institutions, despite how immense they may seem (although $13 billion seems almost trivial relative to JP Morgan’s $2.5 trillion of assets), serve as neither an adequate indemnity nor an effective deterrent. While JP Morgan’s settlement includes $4 billion of “consumer relief,� fining Wall Street could not realistically compensate for or even begin to ameliorate the trillions of dollars of lost savings, jobs and output brought by the financial crisis. Moreover, the burden of such settlements is ultimately carried by shareholders rather than the individuals responsible for misconduct, negligence or incompetence.

Since the financial crises, however, this has begun to change. For example, the Department of Justice refused to release JP Morgan from future criminal charges. More drastically, British lawmakers, established a new criminal offence of “reckless misconduct in the management of a bank,� which carries a seven-year jail term.

While individuals are occasionally criminally prosecuted to the highest degree, they are perceived as deviants.

They are the Madoffs and Rajaratnams and are exceptional rather than symptomatic of a broader culture.

Rather than greed, however, the more insidious problem is that of a moral hazard in which financial institutions tend to assume excessive risk knowing that the potential costs of taking such risk will be borne by others. Because the government implicitly insures the largest financial institutions by bailing them out in times of crisis, they are less incentivized to monitor risk. Solving these problems requires structural reforms and regulations; attempting to compel bankers to change their character through litigation alone is inadequate. Nonetheless, personal indictment, and with it personal integrity, is crucial in making sure banks behave.

His name was Ron Burgundy. He was like a god walking amongst mere mortals.

He had a voice that could make a wolverine purr and suits so

Writing for news is like being Ron Burgundy.

Without the sexism. Or the suits. Or the raw, animalistic sexiness. You

like a hobo. In other words, Ron Burgundy was the balls.

Edit for news. Email evilorio17@amherst.edu or smurguia17@amherst.edu

like Ron Burgundy: you get to tell the news.

Arts&Living

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What Happened to Quality Teen Movies?

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8SJUFS EJSFDUPS +PIO )VHIFT BSHVBCMZ UIF NBTUFS PG DBQUVSJOH T UFFO DVMUVSF PO DBNFSB CMFOEFE TMBQTUJDL DPNFEZ TBUJSF BOE FWFO TPDJBM DPN NFOUBSZ JO B TUPSZ BCPVU B CPZ XIP KVTU XBOUT UP DVU DMBTT -J[ .BSEFVT[ Contributing Writer It seems that every generation has had their own “teen� or coming-of-age films. Many of the most memorable movies from those genres were released in the 1980s and 1990s — movies that celebrated fun and frivolity and youth while still being at least somewhat poignant. What happened? Very few memorable films about young adults have hit theaters in the past ten years or so, and fewer still have proved to possess staying power or enduring popularity. What qualities do the socalled “teen movies� of the eighties and nineties have that make them so enjoyable to watch again and again?

And why isn’t Hollywood still making films like these?

Very few memorable “ films about young adults have hit theaters in the past 10 or so years.

�

Consider 1986’s “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.� Writer-director John Hughes (arguably the master of capturing 1980s teen culture on camera) blended slapstick comedy, satire and even social commentary in a story about a boy who just wants to cut class. On the surface, Ferris is a frothy, light comedy. The film’s characters, even the minor ones, are memorable (the economics teacher, anyone?) and mostly silly. Its premise is barely believable at best: Ferris Bueller, a universally popular high school senior, has a rare talent — he can get away with anything. Playing hooky is his specialty, and he’s able to con his teachers, parents and principal into letting him skip class. With best friend Cameron and girlfriend

Sloane in tow, he steals Cameron’s dad’s cherished Ferrari and sets out to enjoy all that the city of Chicago has to offer. However, Hughes manages to use a fun and spirited film as a vehicle to discuss depression, alienation and responsibility.

Hughes employs a comedic touch when constructing the world of the adolescent in Ferris and in his other films (“The Breakfast Club� and “Pretty in Pink,� for example) but never neglects to address the real problems and worries of people on the cusp of adulthood: the responsibilities that come with getting older, establishing yourself as an individual and in terms of your peer group, dealing with parents, defining your future. Hughes never lets these worries seem petty either, which makes his films in particular staples of the “coming-of-age� genre.

The aforementioned Hughes titles, as well as “Heathers,� “Footloose,� and “Fast Times at Ridgemont High� are all 1980s-era titles that still enjoy considerable popularity and name recognition.

The 1990s produced quite a few fun and memorable teen films also. “Clueless� (1995) is probably the most notable, and although most of its stars (Alicia Silverstone as deceptively-smart Valley Girl Cher Horowitz, Stacey Dash as her best friend Dionne and the late Brittany Murphy as the nerdy new girl Tai Frasier) failed to reach truly significant fame afterwards, the film is funny, smart and likable and has developed almost a cult following since its release. “Clueless,� written and directed by Amy Heckerling (also of “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,� “The Office,� and “Gossip Girl�), follows the shallow but well-meaning Cher and her life as a student at Beverly Hills High School. She

takes new student Tai, who she finds “tragically unhip� under her wing, navigates the dating scene at school, struggles with her relationship with her single father and attempts to pass her driving test. Heckerling uses mundane teenage experiences and makes them funny and entertaining. The intelligent script (based loosely on Jane Austen’s “Emma�) is rife with one-liners and memorable dialogue. Similarly frivolous but worthwhile ’90s teen films include “Cruel Intentions� (1999), “10 Things I Hate About You� (1999), and “Election� (1999).

Try to name some truly unforgettable, smartly written or laughout-loud funny coming-of-age films released in the past 10 years — films that you wouldn’t mind watching more than once. “Mean Girls� (2004) is a classic, if overused, example. The Tina Fay-written and Mark Watersdirected comedy does deserve its

popularity and critical praise, however — it’s one of the most clever, insightful high school satires of recent memory. It’s endlessly quotable and laugh-out-loud funny. And although it’s technically considered a

Try to name some “ truly unforgettable, smartly written or laugh-out-loud funny coming-of-age films released in the past 10 years — films that you wouldn’t mind watching more than once.

�

teen comedy, “Mean Girls� is simultaneously an accurate commentary on teen social culture, bullying and relationships. While not all of them are necessarily comedies, “Easy A�

(2010), “The Perks of Being a Wallflower� (2012) and “The Way, Way

Back� (2013) are also more recently released coming-of-age films that were fairly well-received by critics and audiences.

But how many of these films would you choose to watch over and over again? Perhaps the golden age of the coming-of-age film ended because the directors, actors and audiences of the ’80s and ’90s films grew up. Most of the funniest comedies of the past few years have focused not on teens, but adults. A lot of youngadult focused entertainment has moved to television, whether in the form of a fictional series or a reality show. Unfortunately, these shows aren’t usually overwhelmingly funny or focused on character building, personal growth or the real thoughts and struggles of young adults. The cult followings of these older films, then, will keep growing until more movies of similar quality, humor and poignancy come along.

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“Superfoods� That Will Help You Focus

&MJ[BCFUI 1BVM Contirbuting Writer

As the cold weather sets in and final exams loom in the future, a lot of us might feel rundown and overtired from the onset of cold weather combined with a heavy workload.

Managing stress can be difficult, especially when it is challenging to find time to relax and unwind. Eating a good diet, exercising and getting enough sleep are all important components to maintaining a healthy balance during this part of the semester, but often we have to sacrifice at least one of these things because we just don’t have enough time to get everything done. One way to improve performance during the busiest part of the semester is to make an effort to eat foods that help your brain function! Consuming nutrient-dense foods can be extremely helpful in reducing stress and improving mental focus during crunch time in college. Here are some “superfoods� that have hidden health benefits: 1. Dark chocolate: In excessive amounts, dark chocolate obviously isn’t healthy. However, eating small doses of dark chocolate has been proven to promote blood flow to the brain thanks to antioxidants in cocoa called flavanoids. These compounds can improve concentration and alertness and also satisfy sweet cravings. Offering even more benefits, flavonoids can decrease blood pressure and lower cholesterol. Also, the caffeine content in dark chocolate helps with mental acuity during those late night study sessions.

2. Monounsaturated fats: Monounsaturated fats, or healthy fats, are essential sources of nutrition. These fats lower cholesterol, provide Vitamin E, burn fat and reduce hunger cravings. They also improve vascular health

and make blood flow more efficiently. One good source of healthy fats is olive oil. Eating a salad with some olive oil on it will help your body absorb the nutrients from the vegetables, helping you feel energized and satisfied. Other sources of monounsaturated fats are avocados, nuts and seeds. If you are looking for a late-afternoon study snack, try an option containing healthy fat. You will feel fuller and more satisfied until dinner.

3. Salmon: Salmon, and other types of fish, are good sources of Omega-3 fatty acids, which have been proven to increase focus and memory and decrease risk of dementia down the road. Other sources of Omega-3s include beans, nuts, broccoli and cauliflower.

4. Coffee: Caffeine in reasonable amounts improves mental clarity. And, because coffee is rich in antioxidants, it can help improve brain health over a long period of time. Just don’t go crazy and drink more than two to three cups a day, or you will likely outdo any potential benefits by sending your system into caffeine overdrive. Green tea is another great option for a healthy caffeine boost. In addition to waking you up, green tea speeds up metabolism and prevents spikes in blood sugar. Avoid sugar-filled energy drinks. At 2 a.m. in Merrill Library, it is probably tempting to crack open that Red Bull in hopes of finishing your paper by the next day. However, high-sugar energy drinks cause blood sugar to spike, leading to crashes later on, perpetuating the cycle. Having some dark chocolate, green tea or a cup of coffee will help give you that extra bit of energy and will keep your sleep schedule somewhat normal.

5. Water: Everyone knows that drinking water is essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, yet around 75 percent of the population

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6. Wheat Germ: Wheat Germ is a source of choline, an essential nutrient to developing acetylcholine, which is a neurotransmitter in the brain that improves memory. Choline helps improve nerve to muscle communication. Look for wheat germ by the salad dressings in Val! It can be mixed in with yogurt, cereal, applesauce, smoothies or oatmeal for an extra nutritional boost. Other good sources of choline are found in eggs, potatoes and oatmeal.

7. Beets: Beets get their bright red color from the antioxidant Betalain, a nutrient that helps fight cancer. Beets also contain iron, which help provide the blood with more oxygen, fighting anemia and promoting blood flow.

8. Sweet Potatoes: A Val staple, sweet pota-

toes are nutrient-packed. Sweet potatoes are a slow-digesting complex carbohydrate that will keep you full and energized between meals.

Carbohydrates in general are the key to staying focused and energized. However, the types of carbs you consume matters. Simple carbs, such as white rice, white pasta and baked goods, provide a spike in energy and a crash later on.

Complex carbs, such as sweet potatoes, oatmeal, brown rice and whole wheat breads provide sustained energy over a long period of time. Sweet potatoes are also high in Vitamin A, meaning they are good for your heart, while their Vitamin C content boosts the immune system during the early winter months.

Finally, sweet potatoes have 150 percent more antioxidants than blueberries. Substitute regular potatoes for sweet potatoes for a nutritional kick-start.

New Batman Video Game Falls Short +PIOBUIBO "QQFM Contributing Writer I’ll start this article by providing a quick warning: I love Batman. My obsession for the Caped Crusader has stuck with me throughout my childhood despite the traumatizing effects of George Clooney’s nipples in “Batman Forever.� The Dark Knight is one of my favorite topics of discussion and I’ve dressed up as Batman for Halloween multiple times, including this year.

So, it should come as no surprise that in 2009 I was thrilled by the now classic game Batman: Arkham Asylum. Confined to the island as the inmates take over the madhouse, the player both duels out heavy-hitting combos and sneaks through the darkness onto unsuspecting criminals. Aside from featuring an engaging story, the original voice actors and some of the best villains, it was the first time that any nerds like myself got to live out an alltime dream: being Batman. In addition to the fighting, we got to grapple and glide around the island, solve puzzles using the greatest detective’s skills and use all of his wonderful toys.

Two years later, Arkham City expanded on most of the mechanics but brilliantly opened up the gameplay into an open world, giving us the choice to pursue the Joker, beat up street thugs or glide around.

Set in Gotham City two years into the Dark Knight’s career, this prequel’s first line in the opening cut scene gives the gamer the lame excuse that all citizens are implausibly honoring a citywide curfew because of snow. Because they have plenty of reason to stay locked away in their homes as criminals and corrupt cops roam around the city, the citizens’ abandoned cars the only remnant of any life in this metropolis.

The expression, “It’s my world and you’re just living in it,� is apt in explaining this series.

In both of these games, Batman is the central focus of the game world, everyone else is either a villain or an important good guy and the only people on the streets are criminals looking for a fight. While this works fine for these first two installments due to story lines and our technical expectations, the recently released Arkham Origins clearing its world of ordinary people poses a serious problem. Every person on the streets is a criminal or cop to beat up or the very occasional cop to rescue. This is Batman’s world that all the characters are living in and everyone exists for him to either beat up or save. There is no one simply trying to get home from work or buying a late Christmas gift or taking an evening stroll. Buildings blow up, hostages are taken and the Joker is suitably insane but with this lack of life and energy in the city I’m supposed to be protecting I found myself shrugging and rushing through any of the emotional impact the storyline attempts to deliver.

Gotham City is quite a large place, much larger than both of the two Arkhams in the previous games, but as a consequence it is incredibly empty. While it’s fun to grapple and glide from rooftops as Batman (at least for me), there just isn’t much to do outside of the rather short main story, harking back to the lack of activity in the city. There’s even a bridge right in the middle of the city that takes about five minutes to cross. While awesome for the first few missions, navigating the city is simply dull. The side missions feel a bit repetitive, going so far as to feature mostly the same villains from the previous games, and the collectible trophies and “data packs� scattered around are only for the diehard completionist. Every few minutes a police scanner will alert you to a crime in progress but that, ultimately, is another group of criminals to beat up on. While a world mainly bereft of people except punching bags worked for the other games, this time

around the world is noticeably lifeless because of its size, lacking actual impact as a city, which shows a huge oversight and lack of advancement and innovation from the designers.

While I’ve been extremely harsh on the game, it isn’t a bad game, in fact, what the other games have done well Origins continues. The combat is free-flow combo-based madness that, while you’re quickly countering punches and throwing batarangs, makes you truly exhilarated. Rather than button mashing, this combat system relies on quick reflexes and fast thinking perfectly suited to Batman.

The stealth element is back as strong as ever and it’s still incredibly exciting to see Joker’s minions scream in terror as you sneak or fly in from behind. While the original voice actors, director and even designing studio are no longer involved, it’s hard to notice since Origins pulls off a style perfectly in line with the other games. The third installment succeeds overwhelmingly at matching the height of the giants, Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, that preceded it but, in the end, Origins can’t quite

step out of their shadow.

Ultimately, Origins has fallen into the same problem that has faced so many great game franchises in this last console generation: profit over innovation. While Asylum was an amazing concept (and the chance to be Batman) and City expanded it brilliantly (with an even more brilliant story), Origins offers a rushed experience and a world that’s bigger but empty and similar to what we’ve seen before. Like Call of Duty or Assassin’s Creed, the Batman Arkham series is beginning to release the same game on schedule. Instead of giving the developers time to think of new ideas and concepts, the series is becoming content with a carbon copy of similar games with a new coat of paint and a younger protagonist armed with the knowledge that consumers will continue to buy it. Origins is a great game in its own right and for anyone who hasn’t played a Batman game, it’s not a bad place to start. But, unless you’re dying to replay the other games or can’t get enough Batman until the next “Man of Steel� comes out, this game isn’t really worth it.

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Queeriosity: A Dyke to Watch Out For

$MBSB :PPO .BUUIFX 3BOEPMQI Contributing Writers

This past Tuesday, the Cole Assembly room was filled with Five College students and faculty who were there to hear Alison Bechdel, a cartoonist and cultural commentator, give a talk about her work. The lecture, hosted by the Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Department, the Women and Gender Center and the Queer Resource Center, was titled “Drawing Lessons: The Comics of Everyday Life.� “I’ve always admired Alison Bechdel’s work. I think she’s doing something really innovative and really important. I think that the more students that can read her work and get to know her work will feel freed by it and amused and enlightened,� said Martha Saxton, Professor of History and Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies. Bechdel is best known on campus for her book “Fun Home,� required reading in Saxton’s introductory course “The Cross-Cultural Construction of Gender,� co-taught alongside Professor Khary Polk.

Some of us were expecting the kind of witty political commentary you can find in her original claim to fame, a comic strip titled “Dykes to Watch Out For,� which she described in the talk as filling the lack of queer female voice in the cartoon industry. The tensions of being both an outsider and a citizen while she drew the comic strip lent her credibility: Bechdel found that being a lesbian gave her an objectivity that would be lost with societal acceptance. However, Bechdel believes that as queer people and women gain visibility and acceptance, the necessity and presence of

spaces such as women’s bookstores and gay clubs will decrease. Yet, this isn’t a negative thing in her view. According to Bechdel, since our sexual orientations no longer define us as they did before, the existence of safe spaces and sub-cultures become less meaningful.

With the inroads the LGBTQ movement has made, Bechdel optimistically pointed out that we are not limited or constrained by being gay like she feels she was. “We used to make fun of those people, who wanted to deny or minimize the fact that they were gay: ‘I’m an artist, I happen to be gay, but I’m not a gay artist.’ But now you can be just an artist.�

And, in fact, Junior Co-Chair of Pride Alliance Bonnie Drake ’17, who is taking Saxton and Polk’s course, appreciated that Bechdel, through these memoirs, “represented [herself] more as whole person.� She wrote of “gender and sexuality as a way that didn’t define her.�

As Bechdel saw the need for queer voice declining, she focused on the intersection of how the political was personal — and the personal, political. Broad political statements were so 1990s; in the 21st century Bechdel could only advise us that “I think people should be very careful of the advice they follow.� Hence, in 2008, she stopped work on “Dykes to Watch Out For,� a decades-long work she began in 1987.

This spurred her switch to graphic memoirs. “Fun Home� focused on her father and the effects his lack of masculinity and samesex attraction created her own approach to her sexuality and gender. “Are You My Mother?,� her second memoir, related to a broad audience the private and sometimes painful relationship she had with, to our unending shock,

her mother. In both of these memoirs we learn that who-she-was was not and could not be divorced from the relationships she had with her family. During the lecture, in describing her masculine appearance (pants, short hair, button-up shirt), she quipped, “my father liked boys, and my mother liked boys.

So who wouldn’t want to be a boy?�

Indeed, who wouldn’t? The first thing Bechdel’s mother remembered her own mother telling her was that “boys are more important than girls.� If the personal is political and the political, personal, how we relate to our friends and family isn’t important to just us. Her novels reflect and create our social climate just as much as it helps her to come to terms with those who have shaped and damaged us. “Now that I wrote ‘Fun Home,’� she stated, “I don’t have the memories anymore [of her father]. I only have what’s written down.�

And to have only what she has made public is a brave and powerful thing. We don’t want to imply, and believe that Bechdel isn’t implying, that visibility or political movements aren’t important. Politics hasn’t been moved to the private sphere. There is still work to be done, but by making her private sphere public, Bechdel points out that we can’t only focus on politicians’ speeches and the changing media representations. Politics is and always has been intimate. By focusing inwards and by working through, as Bechdel did, the painful times of our lives, we aren’t just performing self-care. We are performing politics.

But perhaps that is a lesson we have already learned.

Again: Bechdel reminds us to be very

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Difference is, she gives it to us in story: “I came out in my junior year of college,� she told us, “and I pretty much spent the rest of my college career majoring in coming out.

[But now] I see people coming out younger and younger. I see them taking advantage of being in college.�

Disclaimer: The title is a reference to Bechdel’s comic strip “Dykes to Watch Out For�

If you are interested in contributing to the Queeriosity column, contact Matthew Randolph ’16 at mrandolph16@amherst.edu.

Five College Events Thursday, November 14

“What is a Sex Museum? Bodies of Knowledge in Marginal Institutions,� Hampshire College, 4:30 p.m.

This presentation will look at how institutions that display explicitly erotic materials challenge conventional ways that museums construct knowledge and engage audiences. In contrast to a conventionally masculine, rational, detached mode of engagement, sex museums encourage participation, engage with the body, are frankly entertaining and thus recall nineteenth-century approaches to exhibition. They still, however, privilege heterosexuality, normative gender and racial othering through their displays. “Speaking Being Charming,� Mount Holyoke College, 7 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Speaking Being Charming is a workshop sponsored

by CCA on public speaking and social networking skills.

The purpose of this talk is two-fold: giving students the right tools to excel in public speaking and helping international students understand the nuances of American social codes. Free and Open to all 5-College students.

Friday, November 15

“Five College West African Drum,� Mount Holyoke College, 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.

The Five College West African Music Ensembles, directed by Faith Conant, will play selections of music from southern Togo, Ghana and Benin with Ghanaian guest performers Victor Nani Agbeli, Dominic Donkor, Prosper Adjetey and members of the Boston-based Agbekor Society. This year’s Fall concert will feature a dance lesson for audience members. Children always welcome! “Workshop and Discussion with Award-Winning Indie Filmmaker Jay Craven,� Amherst College, 7:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.

The Amherst College Film Society will present awardwinning Vermont indie filmmaker Jay Craven, who will screen his new feature film, “Northern Borders,� starring Academy Award nominated actors Bruce Dern and Genevieve Bujold. “Northern Borders� was made during a special film intensive semester at Marlboro College, where Craven teaches film production and film studies. Thirty students from ten colleges collaborated with 20 professionals to make the picture. The students received college credit

(and professional film credit) taking classes and working in leading film crew positions including script supervisor, wardrobe supervisor, sound boom operator, assistant directors, camera operators, associate editors, location manager, still photographer, production coordinator and more.

Craven is launching a second film intensive semester in January, during which students will travel to the Sundance Film Festival and then return to Marlboro for classes, workshops, visiting artists, student filmmaking, pre-production and production of an 1872 period film, “Peter and John,� that will be shot on the island of Nantucket. The new picture will be based on French writer Guy de Maupassant’s ground-breaking novel, “Pierre et Jean.�

Craven will discuss the film intensive program for interested students — and share his experience working in the trenches of New England independent feature filmmaking. He will also screen “Northern Borders,� which tells the story of ten year-old Austen Kittredge, who is sent to live on his grandparents’ Vermont farm where he has wild adventures and uncovers long-festering family secrets. It’s 1956, and Austen experiences rural Kingdom County as a place full of eccentric people including his stubborn grandparents, whose thorny marriage is known as the Forty Years War. Initially feeling stuck in this fractured household, young Austen plans a quick exit but ends up stranded with no choice but to navigate and endure. A humorous and sometimes startling coming-of-age story, “Northern Borders“ evokes Vermont’s wildness, its sublime beauty, a haunted past and an aura of enchantment.

by Mallorie Chernin and the Boston Choral Ensemble directed by Andrew Shenton of music by the renowned Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. The concert includes the US premieres of Pärt’s Habitare fratres in unum and Virgencita and is organized in conjunction with Prof. Jeffers Engelhardt’s seminar on Pärt this semester. “Splash! Dance Party,â€? Mount Holyoke College, 10 p.m. - 2 a.m.

Come heat up the night and make a splash by dancing the night away! Pre-sale $3; $5 before 12 p.m. and $7 after 12 p.m. Sponsored by the Class of 2016.

by Annalise Nurme ’15

Saturday, November 16

“Film Screening: Detroit,� UMass, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Two couples meet over the proverbial backyard fence, but when Ben and Mary invite fresh-from-rehab Kenny and Sharon over on a hot summer afternoon for a get-to-know-you barbecue, the result isn’t what anyone expected. Secrets are spilled and raw truth exposed in this bold, aggressive and sexy comedy about how the things we covet only get in our way. This is a story of disillusion leavened with humor and destruction tempered by hope.

Sunday, November 17

“Arvo Pärt Concert,â€? Amherst College, 4 p.m.

Joint concert by the Amherst College Choir directed

Image courtesy of wikipedia.org

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4QPSUT 9

All’s Well That Ends Well: Football Downs Williams Jeffs Are NESCAC Co-Champions; Third Title Since ’09 7BSVO *ZFOHBS Senior Staff Writer With a 20-7 victory at Williams on Saturday, the Amherst Football team ended their 2013 season in style, securing a share of the NESCAC Championship.

With only one loss on the season (7-1), the Jeffs finished tied with Middlebury and Wesleyan for the best record in the conference.

The Cardinals entered the weekend undefeated and had a chance to earn sole possession of the NESCAC title. Unfortunately for them, a loss at Trinity dropped them into three-way tie and allowed the Jeffs and Panthers to share the honor.

For Amherst, the title marks the program’s second in the past three years. After a near-miss 2012 season, a young 2013 team rebounded in convincing fashion.

While the Jeffs’ youth certainly bodes well for the squad going forward, the Class of 2014 will undoubtedly be missed. This group of seniors put together a 27-5 overall record in four years, including an undefeated 8-0 season in 2011.

Fortunately, they can leave the program on a high note after dispatching their rivals in their final game. Early on, it appeared that the group might stumble to the finish line instead. Perhaps succumbing to the pressure of NESCAC title aspirations, Amherst was sluggish out of the gate.

Facing a relatively porous Williams defense, the Jeffs struggled to string together any success and went three-and-out twice in the first quarter alone.

Luckily for Amherst, though, their rivals had even more trouble finding their offensive rhythm. The Ephs were unable to get past midfield in the entire half, as Amherst’s defense put together a valiant effort.

Given multiple opportunities, the Jeffs began to capitalize on their defensive success in the second quarter. Finally settling down, quarterback Max Lippe ’15 orchestrated an 11-play, 78-yard drive that put the Jeffs on the board.

Much of the damage on the possession came along the ground as Amherst put together two big runs that kept the chains moving. Sopho-

more Jackson McGonagle was responsible for one of those, gaining 17 yards on a fourth-down trick play to keep the drive alive.

Three plays later, Lippe followed suit by keeping the ball himself and rumbling for 23 yards to put Amherst inside the five yard line.

First-year running back Nick Kelly took over from there, sneaking through the line of scrimmage for a three yard touchdown run that gave the Jeffs a 7-0 lead.

Building on that momentum, Amherst added another touchdown on their next possession.

Taking over at their own 33-yard line, the Jeffs methodically worked upfield as Lippe turned to the passing game. The junior completed six of nine attempts on the drive for 56 yards, including a six-yard touchdown strike that Brian Ragone ’16 hauled in to give Amherst a 14-point cushion heading into the half.

Unfortunately for Amherst, that momentum did not continue into the second half. Instead, the Ephs came out of the intermission firing on all cylinders and began cutting into their deficit.

A 76-yard touchdown pass from Mark Pomella to Richie Beaton put Williams on the board early in the quarter. Beaton snuck behind the Amherst defense on the first play from scrimmage, streaking into the endzone for the score.

Facing pressure once again, the Jeffs did not flinch this time. Instead, the offense responded with a successful drive of its own. Looking to the ground, Amherst bullied its way into the Williams red zone behind the strength of solid runs from Kelly and Lippe. The Williams defense was up to the challenge, though, and stopped the Jeffs at the 17-yard line, forcing Amherst to settle for a field goal.

Senior kicker Phillip Nwosu came on for the attempt and threaded the 34-yarder through the uprights to push Amherst’s lead to 17-7. With both teams buckling down on defense, that score would hold through the end of the quarter.

Looking to mount a fourth quarter comeback, Williams marched downfield with confidence to begin the period. The Ephs made their way to the Amherst 27-yard line before getting stopped by a strong defensive effort.

Settling for the field goal, Williams brought

Rob Mattson Public Affairs Office %FGFOTJWF MJOFNBO .BY -FISNBO DFMFCSBUFT UIF +FGGT WJDUPSZ PWFS UIF &QIT B XJO MBSHFMZ NBEF QPTTJCMF CZ UIF FGGPSUT PG UIF "NIFSTU EFGFOTF their kicker out for the 46-yard attempt. The kick sailed wide left, however, and prevented the Ephs from inching any closer.

To their credit, though, Williams did not relent. Needing a stop, their defense stepped up, forcing an Amherst three-and-out on the next possession to give the ball right back to their offense.

With the clock now a concern, Williams turned to the passing game. Quarterback Adam Marske took over, trying to lead a comeback, but instead sent his initial attempt straight into the hands of Amherst’s Jaymie Spears ’16. The interception killed the Ephs momentum and gave Amherst the ball at the Williams 32-yard line.

Taking advantage of this field position, Amherst worked its way inside the Williams red zone before turning to Nwosu once again. The senior was successful with his 33-yard field goal attempt, giving the Jeffs a 20-7 cushion and ef-

fectively icing the game.

Williams did threaten to score on their final drive of the game, but a fumble from Marske gave the ball back to the Jeffs with two minutes remaining in the quarter. Taking over for the final time, Amherst kept the ball on the ground and ran out the clock to seal the win.

With the victory, Amherst earned their third-consecutive triumph against their rivals.

The streak marks the team’s longest since winning six straight from 1981-1986.

Head coach E.J. Mills improved his record to 101-35 in his 17 years at Amherst. He will return next year and surely make a further addition to the Jeffs’ pedigree of success.

As returning NESCAC co-champions, the Jeffs will certainly have a target on their backs.

But, with an offseason of hard work and a core of young players, this team’s future is certainly bright.

Firedogs Fall in NESCAC Semifinals to Bowdoin Amherst Fails to Secure NESCAC Tournament Bid "OEZ ,OPY Managing Sports Editor The Firedogs entered the NESCAC tournament looking to win the NESCAC tournament championship, but fell in a heartbreaker to Bowdoin in the semifinals in five games.

In order to meet Bowdoin in the semifinals, Amherst first had to defeat a tough Middlebury squad in the quarterfinals that beat the Firedogs late in the season. After dropping the first game of the match, Amherst won straight games to win the match.

The Firedogs lost the first game 25-21, and then won the next game in dramatic fashion 29-27.

Amherst again used their tremendous defense to fuel their offense. Both teams struggled offensively in the match, but Amherst was able to play more consistent and efficient offense. Middlebury struggled to a .151 hitting percentage on the match and was unable to provide their star hitter Megan Jarchow an opportunity to be as effective as she normally is.

Amherst was able to tally 14 blocks on the match led by Sammy Newby ’16 and Nicole Carter ’16 with four each. Carter Photo Courtesy of Amherst College continued her tremendous offensive effort ,BUF #SFT QSFQBSFT UP TFSWF UIF CBMM BHBJOTU by accounting for 41 assists and 12 digs. #PXEPJO JO UIF /&4$"$ TFNJmOBMT Three Firedogs had double-digit kills on

the match led by the first-year duo of Maggie Danner and Nicole Gould with 14 kills respectively. Junior captain Lauren Antion sustained her level of play and was credited with 10 kills and three blocks.

With the win Amherst advanced to play a Bowdoin team that beat Amherst in straight sets earlier in the season. The semifinal match signified the first time that the Firedogs had advanced to the tournament semifinals since 2010.

Bowdoin advanced to the semifinal matchup on the back of an impressive five game win over Trinity. Bowdoin showed signs of fatigue early by dropping two of the first three games of the match.

Bowdoin won the first game 25-22 and looked to beat Amherst the same way they did in their matchup earlier in the season.

However, Amherst rallied and won the next two games 25-22 and 25-15 and tried to close out the match in four games. The Firedogs were unable to win the fourth game and fell 25-20 setting up an all important fifth game.

Bowdoin jumped out to an early 7-1 lead, but Amherst closed the gap to 8-6 on the back of a 5-1 run. The Firedogs and Polar Bears battled back and forth to 13-13.

With victory in sight for both teams, Bowdoin prevailed by winning the next two points.

Amherst got tremendous efforts out of Gould, Danner and Antion who combined for 40 kills. Gould notched 20 kills on the match to average an incredible 17 kills during the NESCAC tournament. Danner continued her strong play by contributing 11 kills, while Antion tallied nine kills. Carter capped off a tremendous season by possibly playing her best match of the year, posting 36 assists and 25 digs.

With the win, the Polar Bears advanced to the NESAC final against host Williams College. The Ephs won their first NESCAC championship since 2009 by defeating Bowdoin in straight sets 25-16, 25-15, 2519.

Even though Amherst lost in the NESCAC semifinals, there was the hope that the Firedogs would be able to earn a berth in the NCAA tournament.

However, Amherst fell short and was unable to get an NCAA tournament bid.

Even though the Firedogs didn’t achieve one of their goals heading into the season, there is a lot to be excited about for next season. The Firedogs don’t graduate any players and return an underclassman heavy team that got a significant amount of playing time this season. Look for the Firedogs to come out next season with high expectations, and don’t be surprised when Amherst wins a NESCAC championship.

10 Sports

Schedule

FRIDAY Men’s Hockey vs. Hamilton, 7 p.m.

Women’s Hockey @ Hamilton, 7 p.m.

SATURDAY Women’s Cross Country @ NCAA Regionals, TBD Men’s Cross Country @ NCAA Regionals, TBD Men’s Soccer vs. Bridgewater State, (NCAA First Round), 1:30 p.m.

Women’s Soccer vs Springfield @Messiah, (NCAA First Round),1:30 p.m.

Men’s Basketball @ Brooklyn, 2 p.m.

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SUNDAY Men’s Soccer vs. TBD, (NCAA Second Round),TBD TUESDAY Women’s Basketball vs. Keene State, 7 p.m.

Cross Country Runs Well in ECAC Championships

Holly Burwick ’16 Staff Writer

Men The Amherst Men’s Cross Country team had an impressive showing at the ECAC Championships this past Saturday at Colt State Park in Bristol, R.I. Placing three runners in the top fifteen, the Jeffs took third place amongst 36 teams.

Coach Erik Nedeau noted, “We had a somewhat disappointing NESCAC race, but we did what we needed to last week to be fresh and recovered.”

The NESCAC took home the top six team spots. With the top three overall finishers, Williams took the top title with 26 points.

Following Williams were Tufts (75), Amherst (84), Colby (141), Middlebury (175) and Bates (188). Rounding out the top ten were Coast Guard (244), USMMA (247), Keene State (273) and University of New England (311).

Gus Greenstein ’14 paved the way for the Jeffs, finishing ninth overall with a time of 26:20.81.

Less than five seconds behind Greenstein was Kevin Connors ’17, whose 26:25.54 finish seeded him 11th in the field of 327 runners.

“Connors just had a monster of a race not only running much faster than what he has done but just looking awesome right from the very start,” Nedeau commented.

Ben Fiedler ’17 rounded out the top three for the Jeffs with a time of 26:28.21, which made him the last Amherst runner in the top 15.

Jeff Seelau ’16 finished fourth for the Jeffs and took 18th place after averaging a 5:21.3 mile pace.

Other notable competitors for the Jeffs this weekend included Romey Sklar ’15 (26:55.54), Jesse Fajnzylber ’17 (27:25.85) and Sam Wohlforth ’17 (28:45.41).

Nedeau seemed quite please with the overall performance of the team as he noted, “On a course that is not as quick as some of the ones we have run this season, guys ran their best times and those times were a byproduct of competing and putting themselves in good position right from the start. It was a great opportunity for the seven who raced to factor into the scoring and have their efforts be truly accountable, and they took full advantage.”

The Jeffs will return to action for the NCAA Regionals on Saturday, Nov. 16.

Greenstein commented on the the team’s recent success and the implications for regionals, “It bodes well for the guys who will be racing next weekend at regionals (who rested this week), as all signs point to them being able to drop a similar amount of time after rejuvenating their legs bodies with a two-week taper period.”

players of the week

Men’s Hockey @ Hamilton, 7 p.m.

Women’s Hockey vs. Hamilton, 7 p.m.

Men’s Squash vs. Northeastern, 2 p.m.

Women’s Squash vs. Northeastern, 2 p.m.

Men’s Swimming @ Union, 1 p.m.

Women’s Swimming @ Union, 1 p.m.

Coach Nedeau agrees, hoping that the competitors at Regionals will build on the momentum that was established this weekend at the ECAC Championships.

Women The Amherst Women’s Cross Country team travelled to Bristol, R.I. this past weekend to compete in the ECAC Championships.

The Jeffs finished fourth amongst 47 teams.

The NESCAC had a strong performance overall, finishing in the top four team spots.

With its top runners taking first and second individually, Middlebury took home the team title with 30 points.

Following Middlebury were Williams (54), Tufts (111) and Amherst (164). Other NESCAC teams finishing in the top ten included Bates (223), Colby (317) and Trinity (330).

“I was really happy with the way we raced last weekend. We saw the course during the warm up and realized that once they entered the woods at about the half mile mark, the course was so narrow that there was no way they would be able to move up in the race until they exited the woods a mile later. That meant a last second change in strategy to get out a little harder and establish good position before they got into the woods, knowing the pace would slow down and that they’d be able to move up in the middle when they got back out in the open. I give our women a lot of credit; this conversation happened about 30 minutes before the gun went off and it was a pretty big change in strategy. They handled it really well and executed the plan perfectly,” said Coach Cassie Funke-Harris.

As for the Jeffs, Lisa Walker ’14 was the top finisher (23:02.66), taking ninth in a field of 327 runners.

“I was especially happy with the performances of our two seniors. Lisa Walker had probably the best performance of her crosscountry career. She’ll be an alternate for our regionals team, but if this was her last xc race in an Amherst singlet, she really made the most of it,” Funke-Harris said.

The second fastest finisher for the Jeffs was Hannah Herrera ’17 who passed the tape in a time of 23:45.72 to take 30th overall.

Anna Berglund ’16 rounded out the top three for the Jeffs finishing just under three seconds behind Herrara with a time of 23:48.22, notching her 32nd in the field.

Other notable Amherst competitors included Jasia Kaulbach ’14 (24:14.18), Sarah Foster ’16 (24:17.98), Rachel Duong ’16 (24:45.74) and Lindsay Ewing ’15 (25:16:59).

“I really couldn’t have asked for more with this group. They took what the race and the course gave them and were ready to take advantage of being fit and tapered when it mattered most,” Funke-Harris said of the Jeffs performance.

The Jeffs will return to action at the NCAA Regionals on Saturday, Nov. 16.

Gus Greenstein ’14

Nicole Gould ‘17

Favorite Team Memory: Every Sunday morn-

Favorite Team Memory: Beating Middlebury

ing on the trails with my boys

If you didn’t play volleyball, which sport

If you didn’t run cross country, which sport

would you play?: Parkour

would you play?: Grounders

Pet Peeve: Anne Hathaway

Pet Peeve: When people are late

Celebrity Crush: Dave and James Franco

Celebrity Crush: Jessica Alba

Favorite Movie: “Casablanca”

Favorite Movie: “Remember the Titans” Favorite Book: Into the Wild Favorite Food: Val’s new Greek yogurt Favorite Thing About Amherst: The opportunities

Favorite Book: Game of Thrones Favorite Food: Sushi Favorite Thing About Amherst: The Firedogs. WOOF!

Men’s Basketball Begins Defense of National Title Karl Greenblatt ’15 Managing Sports Editor There are few ways to diminish the accomplishments of the historic 2012-13 campaign that saw the Amherst men’s basketball team win it all.

The team won 24 straight contests to finish the year, the highlight of which was undoubtedly a thrilling, one-point win over Williams in the NESCAC Championship.

After another four wins in the NCAA tournament, their final victory, an 87-70 rout of Mary Hardin Baylor, was merely the icing on the cake.

Lost in the glory of the national title was the fact that the Jeffs captured their second straight NESCAC title and ran their conference record to 26-0 over the past two years.

In every imaginable sense, the most recent edition of the Jeffs was simply dominant.

Additionally, they moved their coach, Dave Hixon ’75, to within seven wins of the milestone of 700 career victories.

And, despite all that, the Jeffs will begin the season with a blank slate, motivated as ever and knowing that defending a title is one of the toughest tasks in sports.

As always, the returning group will have a different look — most notably, Class of 2013 standouts Pete Kaasila, Willy Workman and Allen Williamson have ended their collegiate careers. Still, there is plenty of talent coming back to LeFrak.

For the third year in a row, Aaron Toomey ’14 will be the de facto leader of the team.

To say the least, Toomey has the talent to go along with his leadership skills — he is the reigning National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Player of the Year, and he was also named NESCAC Player of the Year and a first-team Div. III All-American.

Opposing teams will have their hands full with Toomey, but they will also have to contend with Tom Killian ’14, the Jeffs’ other returning starter.

Killian is coming off a junior season in which he started all 28 of the Jeffs’ games and proved he could provide the team with valuable versatility.

At the other spots on the floor, the Jeffs will tap into their abundant youth, which includes seven first-years and promising sophomores such as Connor Green, Ben Pollack

and Danny Curtis.

The Jeffs were also incredibly successful on the recruiting trail as they brought in a class headlined by David George ’17 and Reid Berman ’17.

Schedule-wise, the Jeffs have a familiar climb ahead of them. They will tip off on Saturday, Nov. 16, and their first ten games are non-conference tests.

The season begins in earnest with the start of NESCAC play on Jan. 10, when the Jeffs play host to Hamilton.

In recent years, the road to the league title has tended to go through Trinity, Middlebury and Williams, so those games will be the most anticipated of the regular season.

Amherst hosts the Ephs on Jan. 11 and travels to Williamstown for a rematch on Jan. 22; shortly thereafter (Jan. 25), they will face a road test against Trinity.

This year, they will square off against the Panthers in the regular-season finale on Feb. 16.

NESCAC Playoffs begin on Feb. 22 with the championship game scheduled for March 2.

The national tournament, should the Jeffs reach it, is slated to begin on March 7.

Rob Mattson Public Affairs Office Reigning DIII Player of the Year Aaron Toomey ’14 will lead the Jeffs.

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Sports 11

Field Hockey Falls in Tough Life and Death in Football Fort Knox’s Vault Loss to Middlebury Andy Knox ’16

Lauren Tuiskula ’17 Staff Writer Field hockey saw their season come to a close after falling 1-0 to Middlebury in the NESCAC Semifinals held on Saturday, Nov 9. The team finished with a 13-3 record and a near perfect 9-1 record in NESCAC play.

Each team remained strong defensively for much of the first half with neither side mounting-threatening offensive drives.

The first shot of the game came twenty minutes into play from Panther Alyssa DiMaio. Amherst keeper Rachel Tannebaum ’15 was able to make an impressive pad save to keep the game notched at zero.

Amherst responded with their own offensive effort. The Jeffs transitioned well and won a penalty corner. Alex Phillie ’14 received the insert pass and sent it to fellow captain Krista Zsitvay ’14. Zsitvay was able to beat the Middlebury goaltender but Meredith Rowe made a defensive save to prevent Amherst from taking the lead.

Middlebury went on an offensive tear with ten minutes remaining in the first half. They had two strong chances on goal, but Tannenbaum was there to make two of her five saves on the day. Catherine Fowler did find the back of the net for Middlebury, but the referees deemed it to be an illegal shot, keeping the game scoreless heading into the half.

After 59 minutes of scoreless play, the Panthers took the lead. Fowler carried the ball up the right wing and centered a pass. Pam Schulman was able to redirect it, giving Middlebury a 1-0 advantage.

Amherst did push for an equalizer. Their best opportunity came off a penalty corner with eight minutes to play, but the Middlebury defense was able to clear the ball and secure the win.

Middlebury went on to defeat Bowdoin in overtime of the NESCAC Final on Sunday, Nov 10.

The Jeffs had an impressive season, earning a thirteen game win streak throughout the majority of the regular season and the playoffs.

Rob Mattson Public Affairs Office

Katie Paolano ’16 controls the ball against Wesleyan in their final game.

Women’s Soccer Earns NCAA Tourney Bid

Chris Rigas ’16 Staff Writer

On Monday, the Amherst women’s soccer team learned that it had earned its third consecutive NCAA tournament bid.

The Jeffs, who had been on the bubble after a first-round defeat in the NESCAC tournament, will face Springfield in the first round this Saturday.

The Pride, who are 13-4-4, won the NEWMAC conference tournament to qualify for their fourth straight NCAA tournament.

“Springfield is a team we know well,” said Head Coach Jen Hughes.

“They are a tough team and our 4-0 win earlier this season did not reflect the game. They are athletic and physical and we have to be ready to battle right from the start.”

If Amherst manages to replicate their regular season triumph, it will face either Messiah or Lasell on Sunday.

Messiah (18-2-1), who will host all three games in Amherst’s portion of the bracket this weekend, knocked the Jeffs out in the quarterfinals of the 2011 tournament.

The Falcons are looking to win their third consecutive and sixth overall Division III title.

Lasell (17-3-1), meanwhile, bounced Amherst from the first round of the tournament last year.

Despite the potential for revenge in the

Reid McWilliams ’16, Public Affairs Office

Jessy Hale ’16 crosses the ball in the Jeffs match against Trinity. second round, the Jeffs are concentrating on Saturday’s game.

“Our exclusive focus is on Springfield,” Hughes said. “We’ve been given another chance, and I’m confident we’ll make the best of it.”

The Jeffs depart for Grantham, Penn. early Friday morning for Saturday’s game against Springfield.

Exploring football through the lens of the recent death of a prep football player in Arizona and through a personal anecdote, Fort Knox’s Vault explores America’s obsession with brutality in football. With the recent emphasis on player safety in all levels of football, it remains to be seen what the future will hold for the game.

It seems like it is impossible to escape the talk about Jonathan Martin and Richie Incognito.

I can’t remember the last time I turned on the TV or surfed the web without reading about the saga involving the Miami Dolphins.

At the heart of the story is whether Martin faced unfair treatment at the hands of his teammates.

This article isn’t concerned with whether Martin was bullied or not.

Underlying the whole discussion about Jonathan Martin is the nature of football and whether a certain type of physical and mental toughness is required to play football.

Lawrence Taylor, one of the most fearsome defensive players in NFL history recently came out and said this about Jonathan Martin, “If you are that sensitive and weak-minded, then find another profession. That’s the way I feel about it. This is the NFL. This is football. This is not table tennis. This is not golf.” His opinion is an example of the opinion of many football players who believe that without physical toughness it is impossible to be successful in football.

What is often lost in the discussion about football and how physical the game is, is the fact that every time a player puts on their shoulder pads and straps on their helmet there is the very real possibility that they won’t walk off the field alive. That may sound melodramatic, but it is true.

This week a high school football player in Arizona died of a brain injury that he suffered in a playoff game.

The memory of the most successful season in Hopi High history will be erased at the realization that the sport that the young men loved took their friend and teammate Charles Youvella.

He died as a result of a brain injury that was inflicted during the fourth quarter of a blowout loss in the first round of the state playoffs.

His death serves as a reminder of the dangers that football players, especially youth football players, face when they step on the field.

A report by the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council revealed that the reported concussion rate for high school football players is almost double that of a college football player and that incidence rate of concussions in high school football is far greater than any other sport.

What is scary about this report is that it only measures the “reported rate” of concussions by athletes.

From personal experience, I know that many of my teammates in high school and in college ignored concussions.

We wanted to be on the field as much as possible, and it is difficult to fully comprehend the dangers of concussions until something horrendous happens.

For me that moment was in my sophomore year of high school.

My Chadwick Dolphins were playing our rivals the Pasadena Polytechnic Panthers. We were winning the game handily (as per usual) when the game stopped.

No one knew why at the time, but one of the Poly players had collapsed on the sideline.

The player, Jackson Allen who is my age, had suffered a serious head injury during the game on a routine play and found himself on death’s doorstep.

Thank goodness there were doctors at the game that were able to take him to the hospital in time to save his life.

For everyone on the field and in the stands that day the game of football changed forever.

Allen underwent numerous surgeries to re-

move swelling and blot cots from his brain and eventually recovered. However, his life was forever altered.

The most surreal part of the whole story for me was the following year when we played Poly.

For the first time in a long time Poly was beating us, but that wasn’t what got me. During the third quarter I made a hard block on one of their players who got up, took a few woozy steps and then fell back to the ground.

After the game as I went to go check on him, Jackson Allen came over and said, ”Man you got messed up!”

It was one of the strangest encounters I have ever had. I had just ended this poor kids season, and Jackson Allen was in awe of how hard one of teammates had gotten hit.

He didn’t say anything to me about the hit or talk about how dangerous it could have been.

Instead, he appreciated how brutal the hit was and how much his friend had gotten dominated on the field.

That moment was the most guilty I have every felt playing sports at any level.

I tell you this story not to brag about some hit I made in high school but as an anecdote for how society views the game of football.

The game is the modern day conception of a battle in a Roman arena where gladiators dressed head to toe in armor battled to the death.

For someone who almost died because of a routine play like Jackson to celebrate a big hit almost exactly a year later tells you about the appeal of football.

Physicality is what draws people to the game of football. Without it, we might as well play patty cake.

In an era where player safety is first and foremost in the minds of players and coaches, it is impossible to escape the fact that we are drawn to the vicious aspects of the game.

We hate to see players get hurt but celebrate when big hits are made.

Hitting is something that can’t be taken out of the game, but how do we alter incentives so that the game is played safer?

I don’t even think that is possible. When I see big hits in college football it is impossible to ignore the fact that one person physically imposed their will on another.

What never escapes my mind now is that a hit like that could end someone’s life just like it did to Charles and how it almost did to Jackson.

Seeing, worse, hearing those types of hits, remind me just how dangerous the game of football truly is.

I think that society is drawn to football because of the risk that players take on every time they step on the field.

They appreciate that football is a game that requires a certain desire of physicality, while not fully understanding that even the most routine of plays can have the most devastating of consequences.

To answer the question I posed at the beginning of the article, I do believe there is a certain physical and mental toughness required to play football.

I also think there is a belief that most players have that they are invincible when they step onto the field.

However, pro players like John Moffitt who just retired after his third year in the league believe that the physical wear and tear isn’t worth the fame and the money, “it’s not the big collisions to the head, it’s the consistent every play hits to the head that can really affect you.”

That belief is something that is becoming more and more widespread among pro players.

Let’s just hope fans start to catch on too.

Sports

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Soccer Tops Williams in NESCAC Championship With Win, Jeffs Earn Second Overall Seed in NCAAs Jason Stein ’16 Sports Section Editor On Sunday, Nov. 10, Men’s Soccer won the NESCAC Title for the third straight season and the fourth time in program history after defeating No. 3 Williams in a 1-0 battle. The previous day the top-seeded Jeffs knocked off No. 5 Bowdoin in double overtime by a score of 2-1 to advance to the NESCAC Finals. With their two most recent victories, the Jeffs extended their unbeaten streak to 37 games and now have their sights on making a deep run in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

Although Amherst defeated Bowdoin 3-0 in the regular season, the Jeffs’ NESCAC Semifinals contest against the Polar Bears would not be easy as Bowdoin looked to earn its first-ever bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The Polar Bears controlled possession in the opening stages of the game, as they racked up five corner kicks in just over 15 minutes. However, Amherst’s stifling defense kept the Polar Bears off the board early on.

Momentum soon shifted to Amherst, as the Jeffs jumped ahead in the 17th minute. On a corner kick from sophomore striker Nico PascualLeone, senior Ben Norton headed the ball in past the goal line to give Amherst a 1-0 lead.

Minutes later, Bowdoin midfielder Matt Dias Costa took the first shot of the match for the Polar Bears, but he put it wide of the net.

It appeared as though Amherst might take a 2-0 lead into halftime after forward Elliot Cassutt ’17 moved past Bowdoin defenders and into the open field, but Bowdoin goalkeeper Noah Safian cut off Cassutt’s attempt to score before he could muster a shot.

The game headed to halftime with Amherst leading 1-0. In the first 45 minutes of action, Amherst took five shots (two on goal), while the Polar Bears managed two shots (one on goal).

Bowdoin had eight corner kicks in the first half, while Amherst attempted three corner kicks, but it was the Jeffs who capitalized on a scoring op-

portunity off a set piece, as Norton’s goal came from Amherst’s second corner of the day.

Norton looked to add his second goal of the game off a corner kick sent in by senior midfielder Max Fikke, but a Bowdoin defender was there to stop it.

Bowdoin would equalize less than 20 minutes into the second half, as an initial Bowdoin shot attempt bounced to Dias Costa, who then kicked it towards the back right corner of the net for his fourth goal of the season.

In the final minutes of regulation, junior midfielder Mikey Hoeksema almost gave the Jeffs a late lead, but Safian was able to preserve the tie score and send the game into overtime.

The Polar Bears were knocking on the door of victory in the first overtime. A Polar Bear attacker drew Amherst goalie Thomas Bull ’16 away from net, but an incredible effort from Bull prevented Bowdoin midfielder Thomas Henshall from scoring, as he moved across the goal and made a quick swipe to keep the Jeffs in the match.

With less than four minutes remaining in double overtime, the Jeffs would prevail. From the left side of the field, first-year defender Justin Aoyama received a pass from senior Brendan Caslin and rifled it past the dive of Safian to the right side of the net to give the Jeffs a 2-1 victory over Bowdoin. “Justin Aoyama picked a pretty good time to score his first college goal,� said Fikke, one of four senior captains (along with Caslin, Norton and Julien Aoyama). “He has been great for us all year and I’m thrilled that he now has a playoff OT goal to show for it.�

Aoyama’s first-career goal set up a repeat NESCAC Championship matchup from a year ago against No. 3 Williams at Hitchcock Field on Sunday. The Jeffs looked to defeat arch-rival Williams for the second time this season after their devastating penalty kick loss to the Ephs in the 2012 NCAA Elite Eight. The Ephs entered the NESCAC Finals coming off a 2-1 win against No. 2 Wesleyan in the NESCAC Semifinals.

Less than five minutes into the game, ju-

nior Gabriel Wirz hit the crossbar and narrowly missed putting the Jeffs ahead. In the national quarterfinals against Williams in 2012, the Jeffs hit the crossbar five separate times and were unable to score, but the 2013 NESCAC Championship would follow a different story for the Jeffs.

Shortly thereafter, Williams’ Mohammed Rashid played the ball to the corner of the net and lured Bull from goal, but Justin Aoyama followed up from his NESCAC Semifinals gamewinner the day before by stopping Rashid’s shot and keeping the score knotted at zero.

Neither goalkeeper made a save over the first 45 minutes, as a defensive battle and a fight to control possession ensued between the Jeffs and the Ephs in the first half of play.

Just over three minutes into the second half of play, Fikke put the Jeffs ahead 1-0. Standing in the middle of the 18-yard box, Fikke, off an assist from Wirz, managed to head the ball in over the head of Williams goalie Peter Morrell, who was charging away from goal in an effort to keep the ball out of the danger zone.

Midway through the second half, Williams had a good chance to score, as forward Dan Lima struck a shot towards the top of the net, but Bull came up with yet another clutch save by punching the ball over the goal.

The Jeffs would hold on the 1-0 lead thanks to strong defensive play the rest of the way.

With his goal early in the second half, which proved to be the game-winner, Fikke earned his second game-winning goal against Williams this season (having previously scored in dramatic fashion to carry Amherst to a 1-0 double overtime victory at Williams in September) and was recognized as the NESCAC Player of the Week for his winning efforts. “I think Max Fikke became a legend right before our eyes with that goal in the final,� said head coach Justin Serpone. “Two game winners against Williams in his senior year? That’ll be talked about for a long time to come.�

With the NESCAC Championship win, Amherst improved to 15-0-2 and completed a season

in which the Jeffs won both the NESCAC regular season and postseason title. “I’m most proud about how this team has allowed themselves to be coached,� Serpone said. “Right from the first practice, we’ve [had] a lot of new faces on the field and [put] players in different positions and each player has stepped up in different circumstances. I can’t remember a season where so many different players might play five minutes in one game and 60 minutes in another and understand and accept their role to the fullest. Total unselfishness and that’s the main reason we won a championship.�

Now, the Jeffs prepare for the NCAA Tournament, which will be Amherst’s eighth straight appearance in the tournament and 13th overall trip. The Jeffs will host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament at Hitchcock Field, with their first game scheduled against Bridgewater State (10-7-3 on the season and winners of the MASCAC conference) on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 1:30 p.m. The winner of Amherst vs. Bridgewater State will face the winner of Gordon College (182-0) vs. Eastern Conn. State (12-3-4) at 1 p.m. on Sunday. “The NCAA Tournament is a totally different ballgame now,� Coach Serpone said. “It’s a one game season. The one thing I can guarantee is that we’re going to try hard. We’ll see where it goes from there. There’s nothing better than college soccer in November.�

Fikke agreed. “I don’t think any of us feel content with what we’ve achieved so far,� Fikke said. “This Saturday starts the last chapter of our season, and at this point it’s about staying humble and hungry. We’re continuing to battle in practice and get better every day to give us a shot at just winning the next game. And that’s all we’re focused on.�

While Amherst knocked off Williams and earned an automatic NCAA Tournament bid, the Ephs received an at-large bid and the two rivals are on a potential collision course to face one another with a trip to the Final Four on the line in a rematch of last year’s Elite Eight.